The Studio Legacy

Richard Chavez was born and raised in San Felipe Pueblo, one of the more conservative and traditional Pueblos of New Mexico. San Felipe Pueblo holds the distinction of being one of the only Pueblos alongside the Rio Grande River.

In the early 70’s, Richard worked as an architectural draftsman for Harvey S. Hoshour, A.I.A. Mr. Hoshour came to Albuquerque, New Mexico after working for the Bauhaus Architect, Mies Van De Rohe. The Bauhaus philosophy emphasized the principles of purity, sparseness, and balance that later influenced the designs by which Richard’s jewelry would become known.

As the founder of Chavez Studio, Richard has become known to his collectors as a lapidary artist with deep foundations in refinement of design, dramatic styling, and pristine craftsmanship. Richard is constantly in a process of elevating his craft by seeking out new materials of the highest quality, by experimenting with new polishing techniques to meet his exacting standards, and by constantly refreshing his line of designs. Ever the perfectionist, you will only find his hands in every step of the process of every piece he creates.

From start to finish, each piece of jewelry involves a number of steps; beginning with sketches to determine certain designs, followed by soldering, sanding, cutting, polishing, and finished with the lapidary process. Each step is done entirely by Richard, with the lapidary process being the most intensive. This time-consuming labor of love begins with Richard seeking out and buying only the best raw materials which he then slabs to become part of his signature designs set into a gold frame. Every stone is cut rough, ground into shape, and polished before it is set into place. Each stone requires muiltiple steps before it is ready before the final polishing and setting.

Name recognition has come from the high standards Richard sets for his Jewelry designs. His work has received numerous awards since his first competition in 1976. Yet in 1990, Richard decided to stop entering juried competitions feeling he no longer required the competitive validation. Instead he finds the positive reactions and comments from the public and his esteemed clientele to be more gratifying than any award he could receive

I began my journey as an artist learning to craft jewelry from my father, Richard I Chavez, a renowned lapidary artist. I was not given exact direction as to what to make but was only given the tools and instruction on how to use them. Along the way my work would be critiqued by my father and I would continually strive to evolve my designs and fabrication processes. He stressed the quality of the design and construction making sure that every aspect of a piece looked “finished” and no corners were cut.

Along with all that I learned in my father’s studio, I would receive a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University in Studio Arts with a focus in Digital Art and Printmaking. After I graduated, I would attend The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts’, Intensive Bench Jeweler Program in San Francisco. Each of these educational experiences added a particular technical or visual aspect to my work and would encourage me to continue to explore all the ways I could enhance my designs.

My current work focuses on the reflective nature of polished silver. Though fabrication, metal stamping, and some casting, I explore how light and reflection interacts with the materials I utilize. I’ve found that polished silver takes in the colors and the light of the world around, and through the use of surface texture a dynamic play of light is created across the surface of my designs. I further enhance my work thought the use of semi-precious stones (agates, quartzs, jades, etc.). However one of the most important qualities in my selection of stones is often translucency. I’ve found that by allowing light to shine though a stone an overall rich and warm effect is created in the overall design.

Along with my yearly schedule of shows where I sell my designs, I’ve also made it a point to educate the public about my work. Growing up in my father’s studio, I always saw just how much of himself he put into his designs and how sometimes he was met with disbelief as to how much work was put into his pieces. I found this to be a similar case when I entered the business, as the general public only sees the finished piece. For that reason, though in person demonstrations and self-produced video mini-documentaries, we’ve made it a point to show the skill, time, and passion that goes into every design. I continually strive to evolve my work and hold every design to the exacting standards that my father established when he created Chavez Studio 50 years ago.